On Wednesday morning, Pokémon released another reveal trailer for the upcoming Sword and Shield games, including a new form for Weezing that, to put it simply, really makes it look a lot like a bong. The new Galarian form of the first generation Pokémon, which gives it two stove "pipe" hats, changes Weezing from a pure poison-type to fairy-poison, making it a stronger Pokémon for a competitive battles. The announcement led to a massive wave of internet reactions, though it most likely wasn't due to the Pokémon's type change.
On the heels of a Fire Emblem: Three Houses quest that has you giving "herbal remedies" that provide "courage" and "hope" to students, this isn't the first time that Nintendo has inserted some marijuana innuendo into their games. Some might argue that Weezing's new look is simply following the UK-inspired trend that Sword and Shield have been rolling with, as the smokestack hats resemble what you might find on a London rooftop, but it's very hard to believe that the developers aren't having a little bit of fun here.
After all, the Pokémon's name is, "Weezing", and he already looked pretty stoned before he had two smoking bongs atop its head. Now those squinting eyes make all the more sense. The developers also made the choice to give the Pokémon green facial hair around the same location where one might pack up some marijuana into a bong, and even went as far as to give it the "Levitate" ability. At this point, there's no way that Game Freak isn't in on the joke.
The reveal of Galarian Weezing caused a massive reaction on social media, as Pokémon fans and weed enthusiasts alike found the trailer entertaining. One doesn't really have to even care for smoking to get the joke here, and fans had a lot of fun reacting to the announcement. A handful of fan art pieces spread across the internet, depicting people smoking out of Galarian Weezing with his signature relaxed facial expression. The artwork was all pretty creative and contributed to the collective laugh shared across the internet.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are slated to release on November 15, and it's a safe bet that a large handful of trainers will choose the new Weezing on their journey to collect eight gym badges, catch 'em all, and maybe enjoy a nice toke along the way.